Meet Mark

Let me introduce myself. My name is Mark Sisson. I’m 63 years young. I live and work in Malibu, California. In a past life I was a professional marathoner and triathlete. Now my life goal is to help 100 million people get healthy. I started this blog in 2006 to empower people to take full responsibility for their own health and enjoyment of life by investigating, discussing, and critically rethinking everything we’ve assumed to be true about health and wellness...

Keto Was a New Way Of Life

It’s Monday, everyone! And that means another Primal Blueprint Real Life Story from a Mark’s Daily Apple reader. If you have your own success story and would like to share it with me and the Mark’s Daily Apple community please contact me here. I’ll continue to publish these each Monday as long as they keep coming in. Thank you for reading!

Three years go I notice in my yearly blood work that my thyroid levels were rising. I called my doctor and her words to me were: “OOO, you are just subclinical hypothyroidism, we’ll just watch your levels to see where they go next year.” NEXT YEAR, I thought. I’m not waiting a whole year.

My journey began. I could see no fundamental reason why when there were rising levels that we wanted to wait another 365 days to take any action. I took action then. Immediately I dove into the Internet and followed whoever I could, watched every doc series, Ted Talk, online summit and followed those who spoke to do more research. That is where I came across Mark’s Daily Apple and I’ve been a fan ever since.

I also did my own research. I tried coconut oils, green powdered drinks, eating nuts for my hair loss, selenium, maca, ashwagandha, all organic, non goo, organic hair care and plant based everything and so much more. I tell people today that you have to know your body and you have to try everything to see what works for you. Holistic medicine treats a cause not a symptom and therefore is not a cookie cutter medicine, and what works for my DNA may not work for yours and visa versa.

I started with a 15 day juice only fast which I documented on YouTube basically to keep me going, but honestly after day 4, it was not an issue.

I started to do research on the thyroid and knew i had some weight to lose. I chose a Keto diet and included intermittent fasting. That was 3 years ago and today I continue the same path and tell anyone that will listen, anyone who is ill and especially anyone with autoimmune issue you can reverse the stats. I did.

The next year my levels went up and I had to see an endocrinologist and in fact, I’ve not seen the same endocrinologist twice in these past three years. They all keep leaving and booting me to a new one, I finally gave up and don’t go to any right now. The system failed me, but that was okay. I was on a better path.

My last labs (last year) were all normal minus my Vitamin D, for which now I supplement as well as enjoy my time in the sun. I remain Keto with intermittent fasting and figure it’s a way of life.

I admit I do stray at times, we all have our weakness and mine is useless white fluffy bread.

I’ve tried a lot of things, but Keto was a new way of life and intermittent fasting just sort of fit. I rotate schedules at work every 3 months and that is not an easy task and so hard on your system, but I also rotate my intermittent fasting to keep my body on a steady rotation of fasting and eating.

My weight loss was around 80 pounds—that I have kept off to this day.

I’m no sure where I’d be today had I listened to my doctor, and trust me I believe in doctors but I believe in myself and my instincts a whole lot more.

I could go on and on. I usually do. But this will give you the idea of my life and what I do to remain in the best shape I can be at 58 years young.

Thank you

Lisa B.

The readers featured in our success stories share their experiences in their own words. The Primal Blueprint and Keto Reset diets are not intended as medical intervention or diagnosis. Nor are they replacements for working with a qualified healthcare practitioner. It’s important to speak with your doctor before beginning any new dietary or lifestyle program, and please consult your physician before making any changes to medication or treatment protocols. Each individual’s results may vary.

15 thoughts on “Keto Was a New Way Of Life”

Very cool Lisa congrats. So you mention your “thyroid levels” increasing, I assume you mean TSH? Did you get a full Thyroid panel including antibody levels and do you have a before and after snapshot? Also, do you take NDT or any other supplements or prescriptions to keep your T3 and T4 at proper levels and TSH and antibodies low?

Currently I take no prescribed medicines and never have. I do supplement with selenium, ashwhaganda, Cordyceps, Biotin, B and D vitamins. This is where I am currently. Fasting 16 hours a day and eating in an 8 hour window. Staying mainly Keto, I am not strict but it is my guideline on how I eat and what I chose, organic on everything I eat unless I eat out and I just am careful of what I do eat when I do not prepare it.

Congratulations, Lisa! So happy to hear your story! Thanks, Mark for posting it! I agree about endocrinologists, the last one I had fobbed me off to a student, and when I mentioned OTC hormone creams that women use, he looked lost. He actually didn’t know they exist. I don’t blame doctors for being clueless, because things are changing so fast. But I do blame them if they stay in their closed off world and expecting us to stay in there with them. I’d rather they were advocating for more research into these new ideas like keto, T3, organic food, sunshine for D, HIT exercise, etc.

I think Dr.’s are a great source. Mine were somewhat open and blamed insurance if I did not get full blood work or talked about a certain treatment. Drs. are not alway taught to treat a cause but more a symptom.

I loved my first Endo Dr. and I have found her private practice and thought about going however I do my blood work every year and I will see where I am and if I don’t need a specialist I won’t go.

Auto Immune is tricky and seems like to me constantly changing symptoms at least that is what I experienced or… I was just getting rid of them and seeing the underlying causes.

I’m not a Dr. and definitely do not have their schooling and I’m thankful for the guidance but for me they are not my end all.

It’s been a long road and a lot of work and tons of failures but I kept trying that is the key. Keep moving forward, learning and trying.

Exercise is key also but not too much to stress out the body. All things in moderation! Even food 🙂

Remember it was not so long ago doctors were doing frontal lobotomies with an ice pick. Later atrocities include recommending industrial transfats, and even now low fat diets where the fat is to be poly unsaturated.

Lisa, your story came at a most opportune moment for me. Thanks for sharing!! According to symptoms I have a sluggish thyroid for decades and am still given the run around by my doctor. If my TSH is within range I don’t have a sluggish thyroid. I have started taking iodine again and it seems to be lifting my energy levels. My question to you is: did/do you take iodine?

I never took it orally but I did in the beginning use and Iodine/magnesium mix and put it on my wrist.

The best way to know what is going on inside of you is blood work. You can in some states have your own done and of course pay for it (I do that here) and you will know what you are lacking, if you don’t you are like shooting in the dark and never really knowing where your target is.

I do my bloodwork every year and I can see where I am, it showed my low D and of course the higher cholesterol I had a year ago. Without blood work, we have symptoms but we don’t always know the cause. Blood work helps so if you can get some done and check your iodine levels and see where you are, iodine is something you do need to be careful with when taking.